1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gas turbines, and in a preferred embodiment to closed cycle gas turbines (also known as hot air turbines).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas turbines including those of the closed cycle type, are old and well-known. Closed cycle gas turbines have many advantages, but also several major disadvantages. One disadvantage has been severe enough to make a closed cycle gas turbine practical only where large amounts of cooling water are available. In the prior art, even if a regenerator is used on a conventional gas turbine, significant amounts of heat still remain in the exhaust gas. If this large amount of hot gas is fed back around to the compressor, severe efficiency penalties are paid in compression according to the prior art. Thus, great amounts of "precooling" water were required and were used. As a result, the closed cycle gas turbine has seen only very limited service.